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flatworm/Planaria in shrimp tank, is it really that bad?

Nick potts

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As above really, I have noticed a fair amount of what appears to be planaria in one of my shrimp tanks.

I know there are meds available, but I would rather not use them, I have lots of snails in my tanks and they will be killed. I also have a planaria trap which I will chuck in.

Now I haven't noticed anything untoward happening, all adult and baby shrimp appear fine, but is it just a matter of time? Or are they likely to just pick off the occasional shrimp?

Thanks for any advice.

Nick
 
I had to get rid of mine. Noticed a lot less baby shrimp and found the odd dead one, can't say if the planaria killed it or just fed on it after it died but they just creeped me out. They supposedly feed on shrimp and fish eggs too, if you are against meds at the moment you can try 'no more planaria' which is a herbal remedy (a nut extract I believe) or you could bait them, especially if you have some pest snails you could crush up in the trap.
 
I had to get rid of mine. Noticed a lot less baby shrimp and found the odd dead one, can't say if the planaria killed it or just fed on it after it died but they just creeped me out. They supposedly feed on shrimp and fish eggs too, if you are against meds at the moment you can try 'no more planaria' which is a herbal remedy (a nut extract I believe) or you could bait them, especially if you have some pest snails you could crush up in the trap.
Thanks.

I have a planaria trap and I will continue to use it, but I know it will be a never-ending battle that way as they are prolific breeders.

The No more planaria is the stuff I was referring to, it is also toxic to snails so I think will cause more issues than the planaria themselves :(
 
It depends on what sp of snail you have. I have/had nerites and ramshorns. I removed the nerites as all meds for planaria are fatal to them. However the ramshorns bred throughout the treatment. For the sake of removing the few nerites I have it was a safe choice compared to the downsides of the planaria.
I used a test tube stuffed with a crushed ramshorn snail to bait them, the tube was literally crawling with them in 2 minutes.
On the plus side, since treating I've not seen a single worm, and all snails and shrimp are happy.
 
Well after buying some no planaria it now appears it could be Rhabdocoela worm.

These look more like what i have.

Best pic I can get.

20210123-173756.jpg
 
Here you see a good reference picture what to look for to determine who is who. :)
No 1 (left) is planaria...
image.jpeg.c3435df0b5dd0f19e6e2903be95e9b6c.jpg


I have no personal experience but those who do say Beetle Nut (NoPlanaria) also is effective against Rhabdocoela.
 
Here you see a good reference picture what to look for to determine who is who. :)
No 1 (left) is planaria...
image.jpeg.c3435df0b5dd0f19e6e2903be95e9b6c.jpg


I have no personal experience but those who do say Beetle Nut (NoPlanaria) also is effective against Rhabdocoela.

For some reason I didn't see that picture when searching, only when someone said Rhabdocoela I found it.

If it is Rhabdocoela i will be leaving them as they appear to be harmless, just a little unsightly
 
Some people report seeing some fish such as Gourami sp. eating these flatworms. :) But is some cases shrimps are also not really safe around them. I guess it depends on some factors in how far this is true, I had a rather large group of T. Pumila gourami (10+) in a tank with Cherry shrimp. Had so many shrimps never noticed one missing... Gouramis are long gone over the years but shrimps still there.
 
Something to think about in this FB post from Chris Lukhaup
(the Ulli Bauer article is well worth the read)


Thanks Alto.

I did see and read that post.

I am now 99% sure they are Rhabdocoela worms rather than planaria, which from what I can find pose no threat to shrimp so would be best left or reduced with siphoning etc than trying to kill with a treatment etc.
 
Has anyone witnessed planaria attack healthy shrimp and shrimplets. Won’t healthy shrimp just dart away if attacked?

I once saw a planaria wrapped around a dying old shrimp. After I pushed the planaria away, the shrimp was immobile and continued on the death path. So could the planaria killed the shrimp or smelled death and began scavenging.
 
Here is a video of an attacked shrimp


But this is not Planaria, it is a Leech...

Anyway if a leech can manage to ambush a shrimp and suck it... I guess, why couldn't any other worm do this as well. :nailbiting:

So i guess this pic aint a fake. :)
Knipsel.JPG

 
You can tell when they've caught a shrimp because they go the same colour as the food, in my instance I would see blue and black ones happily skirting about, they obviously made a huge dent because it reached a point where I had an entire missing generation of shrimp and I would see them berried but could never see babies. Interestingly when I ran no planaria through the system the population not just of shrimp but all inverts exploded.
Also of note, the tank even after running carbon is still a nerite killer, ramshorns and pond aren't bothered but nerites, I do everything right, drip acclimate etc and they're falling off the glass and dead in a week.
 
Has anyone witnessed planaria attack healthy shrimp and shrimplets. Won’t healthy shrimp just dart away if attacked?

I once saw a planaria wrapped around a dying old shrimp. After I pushed the planaria away, the shrimp was immobile and continued on the death path. So could the planaria killed the shrimp or smelled death and began scavenging.
I believe there are two different types of planaria. I am sure I have read that one leaves a trail like slugs that is toxic to shrimp whilst the other will ambush shrimp directly. Never had them in my tank but there seems to be enough experienced shrimp keepers who have experienced losses to suggest you don't want them in with shrimp (Or at least they have put it down to planaria)
That said a lot of shrimp keeps also put fish in with them.....
 
Well whilst the RCS was in the jug with all off 'multicellular organisms' the RCS was rather jumpy in there
Yes I've witnessed them 'flinch' or jump when they come across a planaria. Ive witnessed an increase in shrimplets since treating the tank, and that's even with the 30 wcmm and 15 cpds.
 
You can tell when they've caught a shrimp because they go the same colour as the food, in my instance I would see blue and black ones happily skirting about, they obviously made a huge dent because it reached a point where I had an entire missing generation of shrimp and I would see them berried but could never see babies. Interestingly when I ran no planaria through the system the population not just of shrimp but all inverts exploded.
Also of note, the tank even after running carbon is still a nerite killer, ramshorns and pond aren't bothered but nerites, I do everything right, drip acclimate etc and they're falling off the glass and dead in a week.

Beside the colour change i had exact same experience... After the NoPlanaria treatment snails and shrimps boomed again.. :)
Ramshorn and Pond snails don't bother Noplanaria... But killed an Apple snail with in the past... And it's not a nice death i think, it became lethargic and it took weeks for it do finally die i guess from starvation. Poor thing...

I my case i'm pretty sure that Planaria (eggs) comes with froozen life food... Since i did feed it to the fish in all tanks i had and all needed a treatment against these buggers at some point. I have one tank i never did feed any frozen food and its up and running for it's 2d year and yet never seen a worm in it.
 
Planaria is a japanese sp. apparently, the concesus is that they are "in the water" of many dealer systems so they end up in the store, then in your tank as hitchhikers.
 
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